ASHLEY CUNHA
Ashley Cunha is the Chef de Cuisine of FARM Bluffton, a restaurant in South Carolina’s coastal Lowcountry region offering a regionally focused, seasonally inspired menu. At FARM, Cunha leads a predominantly female culinary team that collaborates on dishes inspired by places, people, and ingredients that spark their collective interests.
Born and raised on New York’s Long Island, Cunha grew up surrounded by family and friends at her mother’s frequent dinner parties and learned to appreciate food as a vehicle to bring together loved ones. Her first taste of restaurant life came through a culinary class at her local high school, where she immediately felt at home. Soon after, she decided to pursue a degree in Culinary Arts at Suffolk County Community College and graduated in 2013.
During an externship under Christian Mir at Stone Creek Inn in East Quogue, Long Island, a friend of Mir helped Cunha line up a job working at a charcuterie shop in the small town of Deauville in Southern France. While there, she was introduced to the iconic chef Éric Ripert and moved to New York City to stage at Le Bernardin before joining the team full time in 2018. Looking to expand her knowledge in wine and beverage, as well as learn how restaurants work as a whole, she then took a front of house position at The Modern, Union Square Hospitality Group’s fine dining restaurant inside the Museum of Modern Art. Just as she settled into her new role in early 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic hit, and restaurants across the country shut down. Cunha headed south to visit her parents in Beaufort, South Carolina, where she came to know FARM. She immediately knew the restaurant and team were something special, and she wanted to be part of it. Cunha joined FARM in May 2020 as lead cook.
Cunha’s culinary philosophy always begins with the best ingredients from the restaurant’s network of local and regional farmers and purveyors. She then works with FARM’s team to transform the ingredients into imaginative, globally inspired dishes. Each cook is given full creative autonomy, which means it’s not uncommon to find Japanese-inspired dishes next to Indian-inspired ones, each carefully crafted to honor the cultures and cuisines from which they originate.
Cunha finds fulfillment in creating special moments for guests every day. She works hard to cultivate a supportive, inclusive work environment for her team. Cunha is an avid mental health advocate and holds check-ins with her team each night after service.
Outside the restaurant, Cunha spends time practicing self-care, whether that’s getting outside, reading industry books, or practicing yoga.